Horse Riding and Camping

There are plenty of places for horseback riders and campers to explore in Mt. Hood National Forest. Please review the following guidelines for equestrians to help protect the Forest's resources and make everyone's visit more enjoyable.

• Weed-free feed is required in all Oregon & Washington National Forests and Grasslands. Learn more about weed-free forage in the State of Oregon.
• Equestrians should do their best to control their horse, avoid cross-country riding, and avoid tying stock to trees for prolonged periods.

Horseback Riding

Recommended best practices for equestrians and their stock:

• Stay on the trails. Ride single-file in the middle of the path, and don’t detour around puddles, snowbanks, or other obstacles if you can go through them. Instead, stay on the trail to avoid creating wider or parallel trails. Don’t take shortcuts or cut across the switchbacks; this can trample and tear out plants and create additional trails that could be more prone to erosion.
• Minimize your impact. Try your best to avoid fragile or sensitive areas, like wet meadows or marshy ground, to help protect the natural resources. Instead, keep your stock on dry, firm ground when possible. Always pack out what you packed in.
• Be courteous. Please be respectful of other trail users - like bikers and hikers - just as they should be respectful toward you. Offer the right of way to other riders, bikers, or hikers when possible. If it’s too difficult to move your horse off a narrow trail, politely ask them to step off on the downhill side. Try to spread horse manure versus leaving a large pile in the middle of a shared trail.

Horse Camping

Also called equestrian campgrounds, horse camps and stock sites are designed and intended specifically for anyone camping with a horse or other stock animal. There is a limited number of horse camps available for equestrians to use on Willamette National Forest. 

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Recreation Opportunities

Horseback Riding (218)

Horse Camping (11)

Showing: 1 - 10 of 219 results

Abernethy - Deer Creek Trailhead

Site Open

This trailhead provides access to:Abernethy Trail #3671Deer Creek Trail #3672See trail pages for more information. 

Abernethy Trail #3671

The 0.7 mile trail begins on the west side of Deer Creek, at the edge of the woods above a grove of alders. The trail stays above Deer Creek, continuing up the drainage through a high elevation…

Alpine Trail #3450

The 9 mile Alpine Trail starts at 3,200 ft. elevation and ends at 4,784. It is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horses.The trail climbs through timber and passes through several open rocky…

Alpine Trailhead #1

Site Open

This trailhead provides access to Alpine Trail #3450See Trail page for more information.  There are four other trailheads for the Alpine Trail. 

Alpine Trailhead #2

Site Open

This trailhead provides access to:Alpine Trail #3450See Trail page for more information.

Alpine Trailhead #3

Site Open

This trailhead provides access to:Alpine Trail #3450See Trail page for more information.

Alpine Trailhead #4

Site Open

This trailhead provides access to:Alpine Trail #3450See Trail page for more information.

Alpine Trailhead #5

Site Open

This trailhead provides access to:Alpine Trail #3450See Trail page for more information.

Battle Ax Creek Trail #3339

This 4 mile trail described from east to west initially climbs to Beachie Saddle at the Opal Creek Wilderness boundary. The trail then starts descending along the Battle Ax creek drainage. The trail…

Battle Ax Mountain Trail #3340

This trail is a challenging scramble up steep, loose soil and rock slopes to the top of Battle Ax Lookout which has spectacular views of the Cascades.